The graphic co



@einen titten gatnt @ffice EZRA B. LAKE, or' nninenron'r, New JERSEY;

Letters Patent No. 62,041, dater? February 1'?, ISST. i

IMPROVED RAILWAY SWITCH.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, EZRA B. LAKE, of Bridgeport, Gloucester' county, New Jersey, have invented an improvement in Railroad Switches.; and I do hereby declare the following to be` full, clear, and exact dcscriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,.an`d to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention `consists of certa-in devices, fully described hereafter, by which I am enabled, by the aid of. a rod projecting from the side of the car, to'turn the switch rails from the main track to the siding, or 'vice versa, and by the same means, after'the cui' has passed, to restore the switch rails to their original position, thus dispensing with thescrvices of a switch-Atender.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation. `0n reference to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this speciiicationV Figures 1 and 2 are plan views of my improved switch.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the same.

Figure 4, o. side view, showing two ofthe operating levers.

Figure 5,'an inverted plan view of a car, showing the device by which the switch is operated.

Figure 6, a detached view of part of my invention, drawn to an enlarged scale and Figure `"i, a modification of part of my invention. Y i

Similar letters refei to similar partsthrough the several views.

, A and A' are the permanent rails of the main track B and B the rails ofthe turmout, and C and C the switch-rails. The latter are so connected to the main track at a a (iig. 3) that their outer ends can be moved either to the position shown in tig. 1, where they coincide with the main-track rails 4A and A', or to that shown in tig. 2, where they coincide with the turn-outY rails B and B', One end of a bar, b, is jointed toene mil of the switch, and the other end of the -bar to the opposite rail. A bar, I), situated at right angles to the main track, is connected to the switch-rail C, at the point e, and is maintained in its position and` allowed a, limited longitudinal movement on a guide-pin, d, secured to a suitable foundation, andpassing through a longitudinal slote, formed in an enlargementat the outer end of the said bar D. rIhrough a horizontal slot formed in this `enlargement ot' the har D, and at right angles to the slot e, passes a plate, E, in which is cut a slo`t,f, partly vstraight and partly inclined, as will be best observed on reference to fig. 6. IThe pin d, which maintains the bar I) in position, passes also through this slot, and a roller, g, turning upon thc said pin, serves to reduce theA friction when the bar and plate are operated. It will be evident, on Vreference to-ig. 6, that by reason ofthe inclination of the sletj` the operation `of the plate E will result in its combined longitudinal and lateral motion, and in the operation of the switch-rails Gand C. A lever, F, gs .`2 and 3, having its fulcrum at 7i, passes;

under the rails A and A oi' the main track, and to one arm of this lever ispivoted the slot of an operating lever-ggg G. To the same arm of the lever is jointed oneend of a rod, t', its opposite cndheing connected to a second operating lever H, (see figs. 3 and 4,) and eaohiof the operating'lcvers is hung to n frame, j, secured'te suitable foundations. The lever F is connected to the short arm of ahorizonta-l leversl, which has its fulcrum at In, and is operated by a lever, J, similar to the operating lever G, above described. The long arm ofj the lever I is connected by a. rod, Z, to one end of the plate E, the opposite end of which is' connected by a rod, n, to al' lever, K, which is pivoted at p, and operated by an upright lever, L, through the medium of a rod, g. Two 4curved arms, M and M', the former situated between the rails A and B, und pivoted at and the latter between the rails A and B', and pivoted at 7", have theiroutcr ends connected together by a rod, s, which'is hung to the short arm of the leverK. The device for operatingmy improved switch is shown in tig. 5, and consists of a bar, moving in transverse guides secured. to lthe under side of the car, and operated by n hand-lever, y. By means of this lever either end of thebar a: may be projectedfrom the side of the car so as to strike one of the operating levers, and thus move the switch-rails in the manner I will now proceed Ato describe.

When the main track is continuous, as shown in gftl, the operating levers, with the exception of the lever J, a're depressed. Conscquentl'yel car having its bar, fr, projected, as shown in iig. 1, and moving on the main track in the direction of the 'arrow 1, will strike and depress `the lever .I the lever I, rod l, and plate E, will consequently be moved in the direction of their arrows, and in consequence ofthe inclination of the slotf,

the positions of the bar D, and switch-rails C and C will be changed to that shown in `fig. 2. The switch-rz1ils are eife'ctually locked'either in this position or in that shown infig. 1, as the pin u? isin a straight portion of the slotf, and it is only when the switch-rails are being moved from the siding to the main track, or vice versa, that the pin is in the inclined portion of the slot. The lever J is depressed sutliciently by the bar x to allow the latter to pass over it when the ear moves on the switch-rails and siding, whence it still continues its motion, and its bar, ic, which has been projected but halt' way, passes the lever Ii without striking it. The bar 1' attached to the last car of the train, projected to its full extent, strikes and depresses the lever L, as shown in iig. 3, and by means of -the rod q, lever K, and rod n, moving in the direction of their arrows, tig. 3, the plate' E and switch-rails .are returned to their original positions7 and the main track is again continuous. After having passed the lever L, the bar x is drawn inwards beneath the car, and the lever y locked,.so that no accidents may occur. It will be evident that when it is desired to transfer a single e'ar from the main track t0 the siding or turn-out, it is necessary to project its bar to full extent, so that it may strike both ot' the operating levers, but that when a train is to be transferred the operating bars of the iirst and last ear only are employed, the bars of the intermediate cars being locked beneath the same. The extent of the movement of the operating levers depends in a great measure upon the height of the bars a above the rails, consequently the bar of a heavily loaded ear'will turn the levers more than the one attached to an empty cnr; to provide for this extended movement, the straight portions of the slot f, cut in the plate E, are made of a suilicient length. If by any accident, after a car has passed on to the siding, the switch-rails should remain turned, as shown in fig. 2, a car upon the Inain track, running in either direction towards the switch, would turn the yswitch-rails to their proper position by the following means: If the car be moving in the direction of the arrow 2, hg, 2, the bar x is projected so that it shall strike and `depress the lever G. The levers li and -I are turned upon their fulcra, and by means of the devices before described, the switch-rails are turned until they coincide with the rails of the main track, while, as the rod z' connects the operating levers G and Il, they are simultaneously depressed and the bar x passes over them. When, however, th'e'ear traverses in the direction of the arrow 3, iig. 2, and the switch-rails are turned to the siding or turn-out, the operation is somewhat different.` YIn such a case, the ange ofthe first wheel upon the track A strikes the outer end of the arm M and turns the same upon its pivot, r', then, by means of the'red s, the lever K, and the parts connected 'with it, are operated, and the switchrails again turn-ed until they coincide with the rails of the main track. If a car be running upon the siding inthe direction of the arrow 4, tig. I, the ilange of the foremost wheel upon the rail B will strike theend of the arm M, and turn the latter upon its pivot 2:,- then, as before described, by means of the rod s, and lever K, the switch-rails will be operated and turned to the siding. The car passes on to the switch rails, as shown in figs. 2 and 4, and its rod fc being projected strikes the lever H, the latter is depressed, and by means of its rod the levers F and I, and rod Z, making the connection with the plate E, are operated, and the switch-rails turned' to their original position. In the modification of part of my invention, shown in iig. i2, a cam, P, turning upon the pin d, is 'used instead of the slotted plate E. The eanr is operated by an arm, t, to the end of which are hung the rods Z and n. The surfaces u a of the cam P take the place oi' the straight portions of the slotf, the bar D being locked by the same at either end of its movement. K

I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Tile rails A and A of the main track, and the rails B and B of the turn-out, and switch-rails C and C',

in combination with the operating lever J, and the devices herein described, or their equivalents, for communicating motion from the said operating lever to the switclrrailsv 2. The operating levers G, H, and D, and their connections, ,in combination with the switch-rails. 8. The combination of the above-mentioned operating levers with the movable bars fr, situated beneath the cars.

4. The combination of the slotted-bar D, eccentric P, its arm t, and rods Z and n. In testimony whereof I have signed my mime to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. l EZRA B. LAKE.

Witnesses: I

WM. .HALL WAXLER, W. J. R. DELANY. 

